


slow and steady comes the spring

by elenathehun



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Siblings, F/M, Founding of Konoha, Gen, Generation Swap, Political Realism, Women In Power
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-11 22:52:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10476327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elenathehun/pseuds/elenathehun
Summary: A chronicle of the creation of the Hidden Village of Haru, beginning with the youth of the first Shadow of Spring, Haru no Sakura.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crowind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowind/gifts).



Sarada’s terrible gift is inherited by her son and not her daughter, but it’s the only inheritance he gets; his older twin receives everything else.

“Don’t be a sore loser, brother!” Sarada catches that just as she finds her children supposedly training at the bottom of the cliff. Sasuke is pouting at the bottom of the cliffside, a few marks in the stone a little above his head showing his progress. Sakura is sitting up high, legs dangling over the cliffside without a care in the world. “Try again, but use less chakra this time!”

Sarada’s daughter will always rise. 

* * *

When Sasuke is thirteen and a man grown, he follows his sister to the river. It’s easier than it used to be: the mirror eyes make up for many deficiencies. By the riverside, a strange boy greets her with a smile. Sasuke doesn’t recognize him, but he doesn’t need to: he only looks at the boy’s grinning face, and looks at his sister’s scowl, and realizes that just as he has grown, so has his sister, always just a little faster.

His sister pushes the foreign boy into the water, and he only laughs as he looks up at her.

* * *

“Why are you so happy lately?”

It’s not that Karin cares, but Naruto is her cousin, and when he’s happy, things have a tendency to go horribly wrong. Karin is always caught in the crossfire because Karin is the only commander he’s ever deigned to follow...which means he’s always her problem.

“I met a girl,” Naruto answers.

“You’ve met lots of girls,” she scoffs. “What makes this one special?”

“We share a dream,” he retorts. “We’re obviously destined!”

“What, she also wants to be the greatest ninja ever?” Karin asks.

“Better: she dreams of peace.”

Karin laughs for days.

* * *

Hinata finally meets Sasuke at their wedding. He’s wearing the red armor she sent for the engagement; she’s wearing the white armor that accompanied the initial offer. They drink the wedding sake without saying a word, and Sasuke’s sister launches into a worn speech about unity, her own lover seated by her side. Sasuke takes the opportunity to tip his face close to hers. Hinata has good eyes, she knows how this looks. 

“Our children will never have that filthy seal,” he whispers in her ear.

“I know,” she whispers back. “Why do you think I agreed to marry you?”

* * *

“You heard what I said,” Uzumaki says easily, as if it’s nothing. “Your village will pay a quarterly tithe to Haru now. What’s so hard to understand about that?”

Kurotsuchi snorts before turning away, and the baby in her belly kicks hard twice, as if agreeing with her unspoken opinion. “You’re just a messenger without a message. Come back with Haru no Sakura herself, and then maybe I’ll think about it. Or we could fight. I’m pretty sure I could take her.”

Uzumaki doesn’t say anything else, but Kurotsuchi feels his rage until he leaves the borders of her home.

* * *

Konohamaru hates treaty meetings with a passion, mostly because he has to bring _all_ his retainers with him. They squabble like spoiled children on the best of days. Ino complains and Shikamaru bitches; all the while Chouji just simmers like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

“Silence!” he snaps when Chouji begins clenching his fists. “If any one of you embarrasses me in front of Lady Sakura and her husband, your grain tithes will double for the next year.”

They quiet, and Konohamaru can concentrate. Haru no Sakura is a juggernaut, and the Sarutobi will not be taken unaware.

* * *

Gaara meets Naruto where the rivers go down to the sea. It’s an ill-fated meeting from the beginning. The other sealing master from Whirlpool has his own agenda, and it does not include learning from all of Gaara’s mistakes. 

“There’s no permanent seal,” Gaara warns. “But a true blood sacrifice will last a lifetime.”

Naruto leaves without listening, but Gaara remains. His siblings are coming with wind and blades; Gaara will meet them with sand and blood. Gaara lost a family but gained a demon with his bargain. It was a fair trade for the power to protect them all. 

* * *

“Shizune and Kakashi are really cool,” Tenzo babbles. “They said Lady Sakura is starting a school in spring, and anyone will be able to attend! Do you think we’ll be here long enough for me to go?”

“Yes,” Sai answers in a monotone. Tenzo is not deterred by his flat tone and continues chattering about whatever his idiot friends had done earlier in the day. 

Still, the work in Haru is good, and it makes Sai happy to see Tenzo act like a child. A school with other children sounds far better than Sai’s own brutal coming-of-age on the battlefield.

* * *

Naruto never stops falling in love with Sakura. She will always be that girl on the riverside, beautiful and strong - and never, ever willing to pull a punch, especially against him. His chakra coils burn, but the monster he leashed heals him, steadily replenishing his blood and making his broken body whole.

“No welcome for your husband, back from the wars?” he asks, 

“A war of your own making,” she censures, the mark of power blazing on her brow. “A monument to your ambition.” 

He’s not surprised when she breaks his neck. Sakura will always choose her village over him.

* * *

Sasuke takes care of the body. It’s thoughtful of him, and Sakura reminds herself to be more grateful for his devotion. He was the first to follow her dream even before it became his own, and that’s not nothing. Shizune is waiting for her at the end of her journey, ready with tea and blankets and a hot bath. The next house over, Hinata paces between Kakashi’s room and Mikoto’s cradle, the unborn twins traveling with her. Beyond Sakura’s senses, the rest of the village remains untouched by Naruto’s malevolence. They’re safe.

It’s only then Sakura allows herself to cry.

**Author's Note:**

> Belated birthday gift for crowind, who now gets 70 perfect drabbles to celebrate growing another year older. I hope everyone else enjoys this first group of ten.


End file.
